Drawer-supporting device



July 27;,1926. 1,594,291

A. M. WOLTZ DRAWER SUPPORTI NG DEVI CE File y 13, 1920 3 Sheets-Sheet l July 27 1926.

. A. M. WOLTZ DRAWER SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed May 13, 1920 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented July 27,

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ALBERT 1VI. Wo trz, on BALTIMOR MARYLAND, Assrenon, BY rtnsnnassienitnitrs, TO SAMUEL D. 'Youneprnos'rnn, or GRAND RArinsfMIeHIGAN.

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Applieationfiledivlay 13, 1920. Serial No. 381,216.

This'invention isan extensible sliding device for supporting drawers and" the like.

One of theobjects of the invention is to provide supporting "means, so constructed that a drawer maybe firmly supported when wholly withdrawn from the cabinet or other unit 'in'which itis mounted. A further'object is to provide a supporting device or the character mentioned, made up of "slidable elements which may be pushed back into the supporting unit sin'iu'ltaneously with the closing movement of the drawer. A fun ther object is-to provide supporting shelving "of'seotional construction, the units of which are provided with extensible drawer supporting means'ot the type mentioned whereby one ormore drawers, depending on size,-may bemounted in each unit. A further object is to provide store shelving having slidable drawers, somounted and supported, that they may be dra'wn outwardly to a sufiicient extent, to enable a salesmair to lift and remove the contents thereof,-wi'thout obstruction by the unit-in which the drawer is mounted. A further object isto provide means whereby those drawers which are 10- catedtoo'*hi'gh for the "salesman to look into themymay he tilted and supported in the tilted position.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularlypointed' out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is'a front elevation illustrating 5 store shelving made up of stacks or units,

eathprovided with drawers supported in accordancewiththe invention. Figure 2 is an enlarged frontelevation 01 one of the shelvin units with parts broken away.

Figures is 'a side'elevationillustrating a set or theext'ension members in closed rela tion. FigureA-Iis asimilar view with the elements ezktended. Figures 5 and 6 are viewss'i'milarto liigures '3 and 4, illustrating the tilting drawer arrangement.

Referringtotl e drawing, A and B represent adjoiningstaclrs eachmade up of a plurality of superposed' sectional units C, each stack being providedwith'a base D and a top ing coveredby pilasters F, *all of -a well- 5 known type of construction.

Eaclrunit C is divided intotwo or more compartments by'pa'rtitions 10, each compartmentbeing designed to-prov-ide storage space loradrawer G; the numoerof partitions 10 in each unit, depending-on the-sizes *or'the drawers tohe stored therein. Each partition extends from-the ba'ck 11 to the front edgeot the unit.

"The extensible elements which support the drawers G are at ached to the partition *walls 10 and to the e'rld walls of the units, but inasmuch aseach set ofthese extensible elements is aduplicate of all of the other sets, its is considered sutli'cientto describe hut one set, it being borne in mind-that two s'etsare required to support each drawer.

Secured to an end wall of the un-it or to a partition wall 10 as the case maybe, is a top guide 120i a set of-extensible elements, said guide having its-lower edge provided with longitudinal groove 13. Spaced from said top guide isa bottom guicleld, provided in itstop edge with a longitudinal groove 15. lnterposed between the guides'IQ and 1% is a slide16,-provided with enlargement 17, forming astop' block, said slide being provided witlrrollers'lS and l9mounted -to travel inthegrooves-13and 15 respectively. Rearward movement of the slide 16 is limited by the ba'ck 11 ofthe unit, and forward movement is limited by means of a stop block 20, located in the groove 13 and arranged in the-path of movement of the roller 18. At the outer end of the guide vlt, in 'a cutaway space, is locateda roller 21, which extends into a-groove'22 in the guide 16, and supports'said guide in-its travel back and forthwithrespect to the unit C in which it is located. The-upper edge of the guide 16 isprov'ided with a groove 23,-to receive a 'roller 2 l, carried by a draWer-suspension arm 25, which is mounted to reciprocate"between-the upperedge of the slide 16 and the lower edge of the -guide '12. Said I roller Qis mounted in a recessspaced from both ends of the arm 25. @utward'movement of the suspension arm 25 is limited'loy 'means' of astop block'26, in the groove 23, and I rearward movement of'hthe suspension an: 1' is limitedby the stopblock 1'7. ltwill benoted' that the suspensioirarm isshorter than the slide, and-thatthestopblock 17 is so proportioned that when the parts are in closed position their front 1 ends -are in "reg- 'ister.

Thesuspension arm 25 is secured to the drawer in any desired manner, and is provided with an inclined inner end so that it may be easily guided under the projecting end of the top guide, when the parts are moved to closed position. In order to provide means for maintaining the drawer in alignment with the guide and slide, the slide is provided with a channel 27, in wh ch is slidably mounted a slide retaining strlp 28, also secured to the drawer.

In practice the drawer is supported by the suspension arm 25 and the slide retaining strip 28, by reason of the engagement of said suspension arm with the slide 16 and top guide 12, and the engagement of the slide retaining strip 28 with the channel 27, of the slide 16. The weight of the drawer is sustained by the guides 12 and 14. lVhen it is desired to pull out a drawer, the operator grasps the usual handle with which the drawer is provided, and pulls outwardly thereon. The effect is to lirst pull out the suspension arm 25 and the retaining strip 28, until the roller 24 engages the stop 26. A continued pull on the drawer then causes the roller 24, acting against the stop 26, to draw out the slide 16, until the roller 18 strikes against the stop abutment 20, which will arrest the outward movement of all of the parts, with the drawer in a position extending clear of the front of the unit in which it is mounted. Thus the salesman may readily remove boxes or the like from the drawer without being impeded by any part of the unit. lVhen it is desired to close the drawer, it is merely pushed inwardly until the inner end of the suspension arm 25 engages the stop block 17, whereupon continued inward pressure will cause the slide to move inwardly until its rear end strikes the back 11 of the unit, in which position the drawer and all of the extensible elements are ontirely within the unit.

where the drawers are located at an elev ation too high for the salesman to conveniently have access to the contents thereof, it is desirable to provide means by which the drawer may be tilted. Such a construction is illustrated in Figures and 6. In this form the guides 12 and 14, provided with the grooves 13 and 15, and the roller 21 are identical with the construction already described in connection with Figures 3 and 4. The drawer suspension arm 25, with its roller 24, are also the same as described in connection with Figures 3 and 4. In the modified construction, the slide 16 is provided with a stop 17 and the rollers 18 and 19, which latter engage the grooves 13 and respectively. The forward end of the slide 16 is inclined as illustrated at 30, and the groove 23* in which roller 24 travels, is extended over the inclined end 30, as indicated at 31, terminating with a stop shoulder 32. The drawer is provided with a roller 33, which travels in the channel 27*, its outward movement being limited by a stop block 34. Said roller 33 functions in the same manner as the retaining strip 28 in maintaining the drawer in alignment.

In practice a pull upon the drawer will move the same outwardly, the suspension arm being guided between the top guide 12 and the slide 16. the roller 33 traveling in the channel 27*, until it strikes the stop 34. Continued outward movement of the drawer will, by reason of the engagement of the roller 33 with the stop 34, cause the slide 16 to be drawn outwardly until the roller 18 comes into contact with the stop 20, and

thereby arrests further movement. The rear end of the drawer is then clear of the top guide 12, leaving the drawer free to rock on the rollers as pivots. As the drawer moves on said pivots from the horizontal to the tilted position, the roller 24 will travel down the roove 31, which provides the necessary clearance, until. the lower edge of the suspension arm rests against the inclined end 30, thereby arresting the tilting movement. IV hen it is desired to close the drawer, it is swung back to horizontal position and then moved inwardly, in the manner already described in connection with Figures 3 and 4.

The advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which it appertains. It will be particularly observed that a construction is provided, by means of which a drawer may be lirnily supported when wholly withdrawn from a cabinet or other unit, so that its contents are readily accessible, and yet all of the parts are stored within the supporting unit, out of the way, when the drawer is closed. It will also be readily understood that a simple and efficient means for supporting the drawers in tilted position is also provided.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention and described an operative manner of constructing and using the same, although without atten'ipting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made, or all of the forms of its use, what is claimed is 1. In a drawer supporting device a pair of normally stationary spaced apart guides, a slide mounted to reciprocate between said guides, a drawer suspension strip mounted to reciprocate between the slide and one of said guides, and drawer alignment means in fixed relation with said suspension strip and positioned directly beneath said strip, said means engaging said slide whereby it will cooperate with said suspension strip.

2. In a drawer supporting device a pair of normally stationary spaced apart guides, a slide mounted to reciprocate between said guides and provided with a channel in one face, a drawer suspension strip mounted to reciprocate between the slide and one of said guides, and a drawer alignment memher in fixed relation with said suspension strip and positioned directly beneath said strip, said alignment member being mounted to travel in said channel.

3. In a d awer supporting device a pair of normally stationary spaced apart guides, a slide mounted to reciprocate between said guides and having a groove in one edge, a drawer suspension strip positioned to reciprocate above said guide groove and having a roller located at a position intermediate between the ends thereof and engaging said guide groove, and drawer alignment means in fixed relation with said suspension strip and positioned directly beneath said strip, said guide means engaging said slide whereby it will cooperate with said suspension strip.

i. In a drawer supporting device a pair of normally stationary spaced apart guides, a slide mounted to reciprocate between said guides and provided with a channel in one face, a drawer suspension strip mounted to reciprocate between the slide and one of said guides, and a drawer guiding roller located in fixed relation with respect to said suspension strip and also positioned to reciprocate in said channel, said roller being located directly beneath said suspension strip, where by it will cooperate therewith.

5. In a drawer-supporting device a pair of normally stationary spaced apart guides, a slide mounted to reciprocate between said guides and having a guide-groove in its top edge, said slide having an inclined end, a suspension arm having aroller in its lower edge located at a point between the ends thereof and engaging the groove of said slide, and pivoted retaining means supported in fixed relation with respect to said suspension arm and engaging the slide beneath the suspension arm, whereby the roller may travel over said inclined end when said suspension arm reaches its limit of outward movement.

6. In a drawer supporting device, a pair of normally stationary spaced apart guides, a slide mounted to reciprocate between said guides and having an inclined outer end, said slide also having a channel in one face closed at its outer end, a drawer suspension arm mounted to reciprocate between said slide and one of said guides, a roller carried by said suspension arm and positioned to travel on said slide, and a pivoted alignment member located in a fixed position with respect to said suspension arm and directly beneath it, and mounted to travel in said channel, whereby said roller may travel over the inclined end of the slide when the alignment member reaches the closed end of the channel.

7. In a drawer supporting device a pair of normally stationary spaced apart guides, a slide mounted to reciprocate between said guides and having an inclined outer end, a drawer suspension strip mounted to travel between the slide and one of said guides, and a drawer aligning roller located directly beneath said arm and engaging said slide, whereby the drawer may tilt and cause said suspension strip to rest against said inclined end.

S. In a drawer supporting device a pair of normally stationary spaced apart guides, a slide mounted to reciprocate between said guides and having an inclined forward end, the top and inclined end of the slide being grooved, a drawer suspension strip provided with guide means travelling in the grooved portions of the slide, and drawer alignment means engaging the slide and cooperating with said suspension arm.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ALBERT M. IVOLTZ. 

